Adjustable-catch keeper



March 4, 1930. J. MAKI 1,749,742

ADJUSTABLE CATCH KEEPER Filed Jan. 9, 1929 Patented Mar. 4, 1930 TULIUS MARI, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN'OR TO THE WHELCO ENGINEERING 8c MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS ADJUSTABLE-CATCH KEEPER Application filed January 9,1929.- Serial No. 331,382.

The present invention relates to catches for movable doors or other closures and has for its object to provide means for taking up slack so as to insure that the door or the like will be held tightly when closed.

The invention is particularly applicable to washing machines, for the purpose of preventing the doors in the washing cylinders from opening far enough, as wear takes place, to permit the wash to protrude between the edges of the doors and the bounding walls of the door openings. Therefore, viewed in 1, one of its aspects, my invention may be said f to have for its object to insure the tight clos- 15 ing of the doors of washing machine cylinders, both initially and after wear takes place.

The various features of novelty whereby my invention is characterized will hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claims; but, for a full understanding of my invention and of its objects and advantages,

reference may be had to the following de-' tailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a fragment of a washing machine having my invention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a section on line 22 of Fig. 1, on a larger scale; and Fig. 3 is an elevation of the inner side of that fragment of the end wall of the cylinder shown in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawing, 1 represents an end wall of a washing machine cylinder, 2 a fragment of the cylindrical wall or shell, and

' 3 a door connected to the shell by means of hinges of which one is shown at 4:; 5 represents a metal hoop or band following the periphery of the end Wall. All of these parts may be of any usual or suitable constructions, the particular details illustrated being shown in my prior Patent No. 1,598,355. As in my aforesaid patent, the door is provided with a catch 6 adapted to'enter a pocket 7 in the end wall 1, just beneath the hoop, when the door is closed. When the door is closed, it is swung down against a suitable stop, not shown, as in my aforesaid patent, for example. It is essential that the doors be tightly closed, since otherwise small pieces of wash will escape through the openings afforded by loosely held doors. The tightness of the door depends upon the the relation of the catch and its keeper. If the keeper engages with the catch when the door is swung shut and is at the limit of its closing movement, the door cannot swing open even slightly. In order that the door may be tightly closed initially and also after wear has taken place in service, I have provided an adjustable keeper for the catch; the keeper being arranged so that any slack between it and the catch may be quickly and easily taken up at any time.

In the arrangement shown, the keeper proper is a spring plate 8 lying underneath the hoop and fixed thereto at one end by means of rivets 9 or otherwise; the free end of the plate extending across the top of the pocket 7. The periphery of the end wall of the cylinder is recessed underneath the hoop in the zone of the pocket, so as to provide a space 10 within which the free end of the keeper may swing toward and from the hoop. A set screw 11 extends through the hoop above the free end of the keeper. The inner end of the set screw engages with the outer face of the keeper and limits the outward swinging movement of the free end of the keeper. The set screw is initially adjusted so that the keeper will engage with the cooperating face of the catch in such a manner as to hold the door tightly closed. In the event that any looseness is observed, afterthe machine has been placed in service, the set screw need simply be turned so as to press down the keeper and take up the slack. The set screw is preferably provided with a: lock nut 12 to prevent accidental turning of the screw.

Since the keeper is of spring metal, it will tend to spring out until it engages throughout its length with the overlying hoop, so

that there is no danger that the keeper will sag instead of following the set screw when the latter is backed off.

It will thusbe seen that I have produced a simple and novel means for insuring that a door or the like may be caused to be held tightly closed when closed, not only initially but after wear takes place.

While I have illustrated and described with particularity only a single preferred form of myinvention, I do. not desire to be limited to the exact structural details thus illustrated and described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come within the definitions of my invention constituting the appended claims.

I claim 1. A member having a door opening, there 4 7 being a catch-receiving pocket in said memberbeside' said opening, a stationary piece on said member above said pocket akeeper in the form of a spring plate underlying said stationary piece and fixed thereto at one end, 7

the'free end of said plate extending across said pocket, and aset screw extending through said stationary piece above the free end of said plate. s

- 2. A member having a door opening, there being a catch-receiving pocket in said member-beside said opening, a stationary piece on said member above said pocket, a movable V keeper underlying said stationarypieoe and extending into the pocket and a set screw extending through said stationary piece above the keeper to' control the distance separating the keeper from said stationary piece.

In testimony whereof, I sign this specifica JULIUS MAKI.

tion. 

